Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive budget proposal, spending on education would grow by a total of 3.8 percent, or about $807 million.

The plan includes details on how the state would pay for the expansion of full-day prekindergarten that the governor called for in his State of the State address earlier this month, starting with a $100 million installment in the fiscal year that begins in April, for a total of $1.5 billion over five years.

Increases for education would include an additional $682 million in formula-based school aid and $25 million in performance programs, such as a $20 million bonus pay program for teachers rated as "highly effective." Education aid is expected to total about $21.9 billion in the 2015-2016 school year.

School aid and Medicaid are the state's largest aid programs, accounting together for about 40 percent of the State Operating Funds budget.

But the growth in school aid falls markedly short of the $1.3 billion increase recommended by the state's Board of Regents, and the $1.9 billion called for by education advocates and Democratic state lawmakers.

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Aid by district

Estimated state school aid for 2014-2015 in select Capital Region city school districts:

"This comes nowhere near what's necessary," Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, said after Cuomo's presentation. "My guess is this is still going to mean cuts in most districts."

"The increases don't come close to keeping up with rising costs," said Billy Easton, president of the Alliance for Quality Education. "Once again, the governor failed to address the gaping inequality between rich and poor school districts."

This academic year, about 230 school districts across New York state did not have universal pre-K programs. The plan calls for a phased expansion, focusing on the neediest districts first.

"We're going to be asking a lot of questions," said Republican state Sen. John Flanagan, chairman of the state Senate Education Committee. "Is it literally universal pre-K? I'm not sure $100 million is going to cover it."

An October report from the government finance watchdog Citizens Budget Commission estimated it would cost about $1.3 billion annually to implement full-day pre-K programs statewide, though that was a high-end estimate calling for the immediate rollout of pre-K in all districts at over $12,000 per pupil.

Elizabeth Lynam, director of state studies for the organization, said that while universal pre-K might be achievable for $1.5 billion at the state's present rate of about $3,700 per student, the programs may not be of the high quality that Cuomo wants.

"Really committing to the goal of universal pre-K is costly," she said.

The budget also authorizes $720 million over five years to expand after-school programs; calls for supplementing school aid spending with commercial gaming revenues beginning in 2016; and allocates $8 million to fund scholarships to SUNY and CUNY schools for the top 10 percent of New York high school students who pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or math and who agree to work in New York for at least five years.

It revealed that the Smart Schools Bond Act, a $2 billion referendum to upgrade technology in schools, would also cover construction of prekindergarten classroom space if approved.

In his address, Cuomo also proposed eliminating standardized tests for kindergarten through grade 2 and criticized the Board of Regents' management of the implementation of the new Common Core learning standards, promising to form a panel to recommend corrective actions.